skorned's reviews
634 reviews

Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood by Gretchen Sisson

emotional informative medium-paced

4.0

America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

3.0

I'm torn about this one. It didn't feel fleshed out enough for me, and it fell kind of flat. Suddenly a few chapters in, we switch perspectives, which I don't mind in books (i actually really like it) but it didn't fit, I felt. Or maybe it just felt sudden. 

Overall this book was fine but i expected more. It fell a little flat for me, it didn't have the shine that I felt Ask Again, Yes did.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.75

Fast, compelling thriller. 

Sounds Like Home: Growing Up Black and Deaf in the South by Mary Herring Wright

informative slow-paced

3.0

Interesting to read about a young Black girl who grows up in the South and goes deaf. This is a historical account; it reads a bit like someone just telling you about their lives, without big conflicts or huge plot twists. Just the everyday experiences. 

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

mysterious medium-paced

3.5

I liked this! I'm interested in reading the Guest List because I've heard it's similar. 

I like the multiple perspectives, even if i didn't like all the characters. I called one part of the mystery (

that it's Julien's baby

) but didn't know the end, which was fun!

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

I can't tell how i feel about this book. I didnt really like Cyrus, and maybe because i dont really like poetry, i found it hard to connect with his project and writing. I did like the parts from the perspectives of other people.

and the part about his mom at the end was really shocking and sad. I get people needing to make a bew life, but to leave your kid? And never contact them again? Even when they're grown up?

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

4.0

This was so good! Just quietly deceptively warm and romantic and real.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

4.0

Ugh, so good. I loved mark, i loved eddie, i loved their story and the quiet way their story is told. Just so good. 

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

emotional medium-paced

3.75

Excellent -- Nicole Chung is thoughtful and honest in her memoir of growing up in a white family as a transracial adoptee. I really appreciated how she wove together the different threads of her families, and felt like I was really getting insight into her lived experience. I have adopted members of my family and this felt neither accusatory nor a glowing endorsement, which feels really true. I would really recommend this book.